


Seventeen (Kobra Kid)

by mcrfive



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Kobra Kid (Danger Days) Is Very Angry, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Show Pony (Danger Days), The Fabulous Killjoys (Danger Days) Are Not MCR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 15,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcrfive/pseuds/mcrfive
Summary: Levi Willow couldn’t stand battery city. day, after day, after day, it was the same routine over, and over, and over again. Their head hurt from all the pills they had to take, and, god, how they wished they could just get up and leave without issue. They didn’t know where home was— because it sure as hell wasn’t there.Party Poison and Kobra Kid were exactly the same. The duo had tried multiple times to escape, but had either gotten caught or injured. They were under watch by S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units, but that didn’t stop them.When Levi crossed paths with the two, they were more than glad to find others who thought like they did— others who wanted out. So, they planned for days, even weeks, and finally came up with a good way to get into the Zones.But, if home is where the heart is, then we’re all just fucked.
Relationships: Kobra Kid/OC
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Part One

Too much.

Levi Willow hated life in Battery City, California. Absolutely hated it. From the pills, to the lack of emotions, to the fact they could be shot at any given moment. They hated being watched. No matter when it was, cameras were always on, watching everybody’s every move.

The biggest rule of Battery City was simple— do not, by any means, leave. The outside desert and the people inhabiting it were dangerous, and would probably kill you if they had the chance. That’s what Levi was always told. Killjoys were a danger to the City, and to people living in it. So, no matter what you did, if you stepped outside the City’s perimeters and weren’t working for BL/ind, you were dead. Plain and simple.

The Zones were, in fact, dangerous— Levi knew that. The radiation out there could kill someone, along with other things. Yet, they didn’t give a flying fuck. Every day, they wished to get out and at least have some form of freedom for once. Away from the pills. Away from everything that made their life a living hell. However, all that was standing between them and the desert was a barrier— a tunnel between the two. A tunnel and a shit ton of dracs and exterminators that would kill them on the spot.

But nothing mattered to them. All they wanted was freedom, at least for a little while. Just a little lick of it, no matter the consequences. The clock was ticking, and they had to do something fast, before they were stuck there for... well, forever. They needed a plan— to go somehow undetected until they make it out. Praying every day, hoping that somehow, they could get out. It was far fetched, but they had hopes that somehow, they could survive the escape.

It was a good idea. Yet, it was easier said than done.

Everything was easier said than done in Battery City, California.


	2. One — Keep Smiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Would you destroy something perfect in order to make it beautiful?

“...And remember; have a better day.”

Levi Willow rolled their eyes, pushing the power button on the remote that sat on the kitchen table and eyeing the security camera that sat in their room. After staying silent for a moment, they walked into their room, picking up a pen off of the table and tapping it against their thigh.

“I’ve gotta get out of here.”

They sighed, staring at the ceiling. They knew they were being watched— it didn’t come as much of a surprise. But they didn’t care. As a matter of fact, they had gotten away with stuff like that before, nearly dying but nonetheless making it out alive. The consequences never seemed to cross their mind. They just wanted out. They wanted to be free. Free from Better Living’s rule.

“But how do I do it?”

They continued tapping the pen against their thigh, trying to come up with something, anything that would help. A silence filled the room— a comfortable one, at least. 

“I mean, surely, I’ll be dead if I go. I’ll get caught and they’ll fucking kill me.”

They laughed humorlessly before sighing once more and glancing over at the end table, the empty pill bottles on it seemingly staring back at them. It was a haunting feeling, really— this was the shit they were forced to take daily. The shit that numbed their emotions so they could be “perfect.”

And, god, how they hated it.

“This is bullshit. I’ve gotta get out of here.”

They stood up, grabbing the empty bottles off of the table and sliding on their sneakers.

“But first, I should probably get more of these if I don’t wanna get my ass killed.”

Letting out a defeated sigh, they walked over to their door, opening it and finding a Better Living worker with a blank expression on his face.

“Oh,” They waved, putting on the same, blank expression. “Hello.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Willow,” The man waved back, reaching into his bag. “I have more pills for you.”

Internally, Levi grimaced, but didn’t change their expression. “Thank you. I was just going out to get some.”

“That’s a funny coincidence,” He nodded, handing them three pill bottles. They took them, setting them on the counter behind them. 

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Nope, that would be all, sir.”

He nodded, zippering his bag shut. “You know who to call if you need something. Have a better day.”

With that, the man left, and Levi shut and locked the door, leaning against it and sighing.

“I really have to fucking get out.”

Levi walked down the sidewalk, clutching the three bottles of pills and trying their best to seem as emotionless as possible. That, however, went to shit as a clap of thunder sounded through the city. Rain started falling down and they jumped, trying their best to find shelter. Chemicals had been put in the atmosphere to make Battery City even more perfect.

Which meant that the rain was acid rain.

“Crap, crap, crap,” They mumbled, quiet enough so nobody would hear. They looked around, hoping, praying that they could find somewhere to go, when suddenly, someone grabbed them by the arm and dragged them inside, shutting and locking the door before Levi could even say a word. 

“What the hell were you doing out there?”

“Calm down, little bro, Jesus Christ.”

“They could’ve fucking died.”

Levi rubbed their temples, glancing up at the two figures in front of them. One was tall and lanky, with blonde hair, and the other was a little shorter and sported bright red hair, something certainly against Better Living’s rules. They blinked a few times, glancing between the two. 

“Hello?”

Another clap of thunder caused them to jump and they sighed, continuing to rub their temples. After a minute of an awkward silence, they glanced back up at the two— seemingly brothers— and waited for a response.

“Yes, hi,” The blonde one crossed his arms and the redhead behind him lightly slapped him on the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“Be nice.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Pardon me, who are you?”

“I’m Party Poison,” The redhead answered, “This is my little brother, Kobra Kid.”

“Those your real names?”

“No, though that would be badass. We’re planning to get the fuck out of here,” Kobra answered.

Levi smirked. “You too, huh?”


	3. Chapter Two — If I Crash On the Couch, Can I Sleep In My Clothes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ain’t it fun living in the real world?

“You too, huh?”

Poison and Kobra shared a confused glance with one another before turning back to Levi— the random blonde chick they had pulled into their house.

“Okay, first of all, what’s your name?” Party asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Levi,” They answered, holding a hand out. “Pleasure.”

Kobra shook their hand, still a little confused. “What were you doing out in the rain?”

“None ya business, but it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Okay... You wanna get out of here too?”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, then this should be fun.”

Party snickered. “Well, since you’re here, and we all basically have the same train of thought, what can we do? Like, what’s the worst that can happen?”

Kobra raised an eyebrow. “Well, for starters—“

“Rhetorical question.”

“I mean, you have a point,” Levi shrugged, running a hand through their short, blonde hair. “But I don’t know if I should trust you.”

“Mx. Why would we bullshit about this stuff?”

Party rolled his eyes. “Be nice, Kobra.”

Levi laughed, shrugging a little as they stood themself up straight. The brothers’ house was empty to the point that it freaked them out, and two, white ray guns laid on the table. They grew unsure— should they really trust these guys? Part of them wanted to get the hell out of there after the rain cleared up, and the other part mentally chanted ‘fuck it’ as they glanced between the duo. Sighing, they dusted themself off.

”How old are you two?”

”I’m eighteen,” Party nodded. “Kobra is sixteen. Well, almost seventeen. You?”

Levi shrugged. Truth be told, they weren’t sure what they should and shouldn’t say. For all they knew, they could be taking a risk that would end up with them sitting in a containment cell, Drac mask over their head. Yet, there was... something. Something that told them to trust the boys standing in front of them. That they were right. That they’d be out of there, quicker than anybody expected. 

‘Trust your gut, Levi,’ they thought, and the decision was final.

“I’m seventeen.”

Kobra nodded. “So, you wanna get out, right?”’

”Correct.”

”Then what do you have the pills for?”

Levi groaned. They knew this was gonna happen, sooner or later. “I had to get them. Would rather having them then getting killed.”

“Fair point.”

Looking inside one of the bottles, Party raised an eyebrow. He took a closer look, and took the bottle out of Levi’s hand immediately after.

“The fuck?!” Levi raised their eyebrows, but Party was already opening the bottle. “I thought you said you wanted to get out!”

”There’s a paper in here,” The redhead raised an eyebrow, pulling the small, crumpled piece of paper out. He opened it, squinting as he tried to read it. After not being able to, they sighed defeatedly, dropping the piece of paper on the ground. Levi picked it up, attempting to read it. The writing was smudged and messily written, to the point where they thought it wasn’t legible at all. Maybe it was a trap, just to get them thinking. Maybe the conversation they had with themself earlier was heard, and they were going to get caught. Yet, they kept trying, just in case.

”I can read it,” They grinned after multiple tries of trying to read the paper. Kobra and Party both shared a look, turning back to Levi. However, they didn’t read it out loud.

EXIT HERE BETWEEN 1 AND 2 AM. WHENEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO IT. THE PATROLS ARE THE LEAST ACTIVE THEN. LEAST RISKY. NEVER STOP RUNNING. 

“Holy shit.”

”What? What is it?” Kobra raised his eyebrows. Levi looked up at the two standing in front of them, eyes wide.

“Boys, this could be our ticket out of here.”

”Are you sure about this?”

Kobra rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to face Party. The older sibling shrugged, tapping their fingers against the table. Kobra sighed, leaning back in his chair as he closed his eyes.

”What are you thinking about?” Party snickered a little. “Don’t make me pull the chair out from under you.”

”No, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

”Dude. A BLI official put that paper in there.”

”Exactly! It could be a trap, for all we know.”

”Calm down.”

Kobra sighed, glancing at Levi, who was asleep on the couch. They had let them stay the night because the rain wasn’t going away, and just in case they wanted to make an escape attempt the day after. He would never admit it, but he was starting to trust Levi a little more than he would like to.

”I just don’t have a good feeling.”

”Do you ever, though?” Party tilted his head. “Like, seriously. When have you ever had a good feeling about something?”

”Oh, shut the fuck up, stop being deep, and go to bed. It’s, like, midnight.”

“Make me.”

Kobra was about to say something, but his attention turned to Levi as they mumbled something, half-asleep.

”Mm.. Boys?”

”Go back to sleep, Levi,” Party turned to the blonde on the couch. “It’s early.”

”Fuck sleep,” They mumbled, rubbing their eyes. Kobra couldn’t help but laugh a bit as Levi fell back asleep, completely disregarding what they had said before. Party looked between the two and smirked.

”I know that look.”

“Shut up.”

”No,” Party smirked and began to walk off to their room. “Goodnight!”

”Night,” Kobra sighed as he walked into his own room, closing and locking the door. 

“God, what am I thinking?” He mumbled to himself, shutting the lights off and lying down, staring at the ceiling until he eventually drifted asleep, mind still racing a million miles a minute.


	4. Chapter Three — Have a Lovely Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For now, I will stay alive.

“Are you keeping a close eye on them, Doc?”

”I’m trying. Best I can,” Doctor Death Defying leaned back in his wheelchair, raising an eyebrow at the Killjoy standing in front of him. “I don’t know how you managed to get away with that.”

”Neither do I. Skill, I guess.”

”Do you think you’d be able to get back in there?”

”Possibly,” He shrugged, running a hand through his light brown hair. “I can try.”

”If you want. They could be valuable.”

”I know, I know. I’ll try. It could work.”

”Got it,” The Doc nodded and turned back to his desk. “Good luck.”

”Thank you, sir. Give me three days. I’ll be back.”

“I’m holdin’ you to that.”

Levi inserted their apartment key into the lock and turned it, opening the door and walking inside. Home sweet home, if you could even call it that. They felt for the paper in their pocket— still crumpled, but Party and Kobra’s phone number was written on the other side, just in case they needed it.

Just like the brothers’ house, Levi’s apartment was empty, but not as empty. Used up pill bottles littered the counters and random papers, pens and pencils were on the tables and in their bedroom. The TV was tuned in to some BLI news network, where they reported about the capturing of two Killjoys under the names of Virtue Venganza and Sharpshooter. The channel then showed one of those Killjoys being shot while Korse dragged the other off into a different room. 

Levi winced. So that’s what they do to captured Zone Rats. They hadn’t even bothered to watch whatever was happening on television before, but now, they wouldn’t stop looking in fear until a knock at their door startled them out of whatever trance they were in. Quickly and in a panic, they looked for something to use as defense as the person kept knocking. 

“Open up.”

Levi grabbed the first thing they could see-- a yardstick-- and opened the door. Standing on the other side of the door was the same BLI official that had given them their pills the day before.

Levi mentally groaned. “You again?”

He nodded, and without a word, pulled out his own ray gun-- painted pink and black-- and shot one of the cameras down. He then steped inside, closing the door. Behind him. Levi backed against a wall, makeshift weapon ready.

“Listen, Levi,” He started. “I don’t work for them. My name is Agent Cherri Cola. I’m here to get you out.”

Levi paused, raising both of their eyebrows. “So.. You’re the one that put the note in the bottle.”

“Correct.”

“Wow. How did you get in here?”

“I have my ways.”

‘Bribery,’ They thought, but that probably wasn’t the case. “So.. You’re gonna help?”

“Correct.”

“Cool,” Was all they could respond with, fumbling their words a little. “I was with two others yesterday when we found the paper. They wanted to get out too.”

“Call them if you can. The more, the better.”

Levi nodded, walking over to the phone and dialing the siblings’ number. The phone rang twice before it was picked up, Party’s voice coming through the other end. “Hello?”

“Party, it’s Levi. Come over. Now. I gave you my address, I think.”

“On it.”

Levi hung up the phone and waited in an awkward silence for a few minutes until there was a knock on the door once again. They opened it, letting Kobra and Party in. The two both glanced at Cherri before raising an eyebrow.

“Guys, this is Agent Cherri Cola. Sir, these are Party Poison and Kobra Kid. He can help us get out.”

“Already getting started, eh?” Cherri flashed a smile at the siblings. “Pleasure.”

“Are you the one who gave Levi the paper?” Kobra asked, shaking the older man’s hand. Cherri nodded, shoving his gun back into the holster. 

“Cool.”

“So. How can we get out?” Party asked, still a little unsure. “If you got in here, surely you can get out.”

“There are two ways-- the tunnel and the Slums. The Slums are faster, but definitely more violent. It’s your call.

“Tunnel, then,” Levi answered, “If it’s less of a risk of death.”

“Alright,” Cherri shrugged, tapping his fingers against his leg. “But it’ll be tough.”

“Tough’s my middle name,” Kobra snickered, rolling his eyes as Party slapped him on the wrist.

“No, it’s James. Or fucking, if you count that god forsaken shirt you have.”

“Shut up.”

Levi chuckled. “So, what will we need?”

“Well, first of all, you need a gun,” Cherri started. “And a code name.”

The three thought for a minute as Cherri handed Levi an unpainted raygun. The room grew silent, and nobody spoke up for minutes. Levi wasn’t sure what to think. ‘Is this a trap?’ They thought as they sat on the kitchen table. ‘What if he’s just here to kill me? Or worse?’

“Are you okay?” Kobra raised an eyebrow, earning no response. Levi had zoned out, thinking about the endless possibilities of going through with this offer. 

“Hello?” He waved a hand in front of the shorter blonde’s face, laughing a bit. “Levi?”

“What? Oh, hi,” They laughed, finally snapping out of it. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

“Okay, then.”

Another silence grew in the room before Cherri began to walk out. Party grabbed his arm, however, and stopped him.

“Woah, woah, woah,” He raised his eyebrows. “You aren’t going now. You still have some stuff to explain, sir.”

“Like what?”

“How did you get in here without, you know, getting killed? It’s, like, impossible. Especially since you’re a Killjoy.”

“Kid, there’s someone called the Phoenix Witch. She’s.. She’s basically God. If you believe in her or you’re out in the Zones, and she doesn’t hate your guts, then she could send you back if you get ghosted. I’ve been caught before. That’s why I don’t. Plus, exterminator disguise, remember?”

“Phoenix Witch?” Levi raised an eyebrow. Cherri nodded.

“She’ll usually bring you back, especially if she likes you. Or if you’re annoying. That’s why Fun Ghoul comes back. He gets on her nerves.”

“I’m sorry, what’s his name?”

“Fun Ghoul.”

“Clever.”

Kobra raised his eyebrows as Party and Levi burst into a fit of laughter, confused. 

“I don’t get it,” He tilted his head, Party putting a hand on his shoulder, still laughing while Levi explained.

“Fungul. It means go fuck yourself in Italian.”

“Oh,” He nodded slowly, turning to his older sibling, who had finally calmed down. “Hey, Party. Fungul.”

Levi burst into another fit of laughter as Party rolled their eyes, slapping their brother on the back of the neck. The three had almost forgotten about the Killjoy in front of them until he spoke up.

“Enough of that. Let’s get to work.”


	5. Chapter Four — I’m Afraid Someone Else Will Hear Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bite me first, I’ll bite you back.

Silence.

Levi didn’t know if that was a good thing as they walked through the streets of Battery City, turning this way and that until they found where they were supposed to go. Usually, the City was rather loud, with people speaking here and there, news reports playing or being given, cars stopping and going, and the occasional gun shot that was heard whenever a new Killjoy came in or got out.

But this time, it was dead silent, and they didn’t know how to feel about it.

Looking for a dark spot was difficult, due to the cameras being on almost every single corner you turn. If there wasn’t a camera, you were for certain getting watched a different way, wether it through a window or somewhere else.

There were only four dark spots in Battery City, and it was Levi’s job to find the right one.

Frantically looking for the correct place to go but not wanting to get caught, they shoved their hands into their pockets, trying to seem as calm and emotionless as possible as they walked down the street. The billboards reading Have a Better Day and Keep Smiling seemed to stare back at them, and every second someone walked past they nearly jumped out of fear they would get caught, even when they simply earned a “Good morning, Miss Willow.”

Everything in the City made them sick to their stomach, especially the people. Everybody always greeted them, and knew their name-- Miss Willow, as they would get called, or, on occasion, Rachel, because nobody— with the exception of Party, Kobra, and now this Cherri Cola guy— knew them as Levi, because identifying as anything outside the binary was not allowed.

The dead quiet of the City gave them the creps, yet, at the same time, it was oddly comforting.

But, sometimes, quiet is violent.

“Get down!” A woman screeched as Draculoids came running through the area, guns blazing. Levi ducked, covering their head with the bag that they were carrying in a sad camouflage attempt. They covered their ears as they heard the screams of people getting shot, taking laser beams to the arm, leg, and chest for no explained reason. 

“Did we get the corrupt one?”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“There’s one left. So, that means-”

Levi squeezed their eyes shut as they felt themself get lifted off the ground, coming face to face with one of the freakish, vampire-masked BL/ind employees.

“Don’t kill. Just mask her. With what she knows, she could be useful to us. That Zone Rat has been helping her.”

Cola, Levi thought, grimacing a little as they felt the mask start to be placed over their head. A voice from behind them startled them, nearly causing them to fall out of the Drac’s grip.

“What are you doing?”

“Masking the corrupt one.”

“She isn’t the corrupt one. You must have gotten that one earlier. She’s taking over for Baker with delivering the pills today-- he’s sick, remember?”

“Right,” The Drac that had grabbed Levi nodded, putting them down. “Sorry, sir. We’ll be on our way.”

Once the Dracs left, Levi turned around, face-to-face with the one that saved them.

“Kobra?”

”Yeah, yeah,” The blonde nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hi.”

“Why did you-“

“Like the pigs said, you can be useful. “

“Is that all?” Levi teased, and Kobra rolled his eyes.

”...Possibly.”

”Liar.”

“Shut up.”

”How did you even manage to do that?”

”Truth be told, I don’t know.”

“Fair enough, I guess.”

Levi shrugged, turning on their heel and beginning to walk away. Kobra stood there for a minute, not sure what else to do. After noticing Levi’s bag (which was certainly not filled with pills) was on the ground, he picked it up and held it out.

“Levi.”

Levi turned around, raising their eyebrows. “What now?”

“You forgot this.”

Quickly, they grabbed the bag from the taller boy, flashing a small smile. “Thanks, Kiddie. Gotta dash.”

Levi began to run back to their house, turning the corner, now hopeless that they were going to find Cherri. 

“Kiddie,” They mumbled, rolling their eyes at their own stupidity. “Why did I call him Kiddie?”

A light pink blush dusted the Kobra Kid’s cheeks as he began to walk away, forgetting about the errand he had to run and mumbling to himself along the way. 

“What the fuck just happened?”

“Well, welcome back,” Party glanced up from his spot on the couch as his younger brother walked through the door. “Did you get what you needed?”

“No.”

“You didn’t?”

“Did you not see what happened about ten, maybe fifteen minutes away from here?”

“With the dracs? Yeah, I did. How did that affect you?”

“Well, first off, it was blocking my way.”

“Second?”

“Levi nearly got masked. And, like, five people died.”

“Levi? As in, that blonde kid you dragged in during that rainstorm a few weeks back?”

“What other Levi would I be talking about?”

“...Wait a second,” Party smirked. Kobra rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

“Do not-”

“Oh, my god, you’re blushing.”

“Am not.”

“I’m just kidding around,” Party rolled their eyes. “But, seriously, what happened?”

“With Levi.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“If I’m being honest, I’m not sure. I just walked up and there was a mask half over their head.”

“And?”

“I kinda lied to get them out,” Kobra rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a little. “The pigs were trying to kill the corrupt one. Obviously, that was Levi. I said they were delivering the pills to people in place of some guy who was sick. I pulled a you, basically.”

Party patted his brother on the shoulder. “Fuck yeah, you did. Proud of ya.”

Kobra rolled his eyes, smiling sheepishly. “I just hope they’re okay.”


	6. Chapter Five — When They Show Their Teetn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weave veneom in their words.

This was the day that Levi Willow had been waiting for.

After just a few weeks of planning and talking with Cherri and the pair they had dubbed the Venom Brothers, they had finally come up with a plan to get out.

The pitch: Cherri would have on the exterminator disguise he had, hijack a BL/ind van, throw the three inside and drive out, acting as if he was going to find Killjoys to mask and re-educate.

However, when they brought the idea up, the others didn’t approve.

“Are you crazy?!”  
Levi flinched at the yelling as they backed against a wall. Cherri had to keep Party from continuing to scream at Levi about the stupid idea. 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Kobra spoke up after a long moment of silence, All eyes were on him now, and he quickly explained. 

“If we don’t let them know we’re in the car-- like if we duck or something-- then there’ll be a higher chance of being able to get out without getting caught.”

“...You have a point.”

“So,” Cherri started, “We’re gonna go with that?”

“We’ll give it a shot. Just see what happens.”

“Alright, then.”

“Grab what you need. Let’s get this going. I’m gonna go grab the car. Stay here, I’ll pull up and get you guys in.”

The three quietly nodded as Cherri walked through the door, waving before pulling it closed. They stood in silence, anxious about what they were about to do. But, risk or not, they were waiting to get out.

All they needed was for the van to pull up, and that was a sentence Levi never thought they would say.

“I’m sorry for yelling,” Party said, breaking the silence. “I’m just… scared.”

“Me, too.”

Kobra glanced out the door and noticed a white van parked outside, Cherri standing by it. “He’s here.”

“Go.”

He swung the door open, running outside with Levi and Party right behind him. All three froze as they heard a voice come from behind the van.

“You aren’t supposed to be taking people for no reason, Levko.”

“Get in,” Cherri whispered as he climbed back into the front seat. Levi got into the back, but Party and Kobra didn’t follow.

“What are you doing?!”

“Save yourselves,” Kobra grabbed a ray gun off of the ground. “We’ll hold them back.”

“Are you su-”

“Just go!”

Levi nodded, closing the door of the van as Cherri stepped on the gas, speeding through the City’s streets. He was focused on the road and nothing else, trying to make it to the tunnel as fast as possible. Levi glanced down at their shaking hands and sighed, tearing up.

“We left them behind.”

“They said to.”

“We promised them we wouldn’t.”

“Levi. They told us to leave them there. They’ll come back. You know them.”

“Right.”

Once they reached the end of the tunnel, Cherri stopped the car. “Get out and run. As fast as you possibly can. They’re more after me than you.”

“If you say so.”

“Oh, and remember something, Levi,” Cherri smiled, handing them an unpainted ray-gun. “Killjoys never die.”

Jet Star was just trying to go on patrol. 

He wanted to shoot something and he wanted to do so without being interrupted.

But, of course, that could never happen with his outstanding luck.

“Doc,” He started, walking into the radio station that people such as Cherri Cola and Doctor Death Defying worked at. “We have a little problem.”

“I thought you were going on patrol.”

“I was. Currently, there is somebody passed out in the back of the car.”

“What?”

“I was in Zone Three and there was someone passed out in the outskirts.”

“And they’re in the car?”

“Yes.”

“Can you get them?”

Nodding wordlessly, Jet went out the door, opening the back seat to the Killjoys’ car and picking up the unconscious blonde, bringing them back inside. He carefully put them in a chair before walking out and drivin back to where he was trying to go originally. Doc kept an eye on who Jet had found, and, after an hour, they woke up, rubbing their eyes and slurring their words.

“Am.. Am I dead?”

“No,” Doc snickered as he wheeled over. “Not dead.”

“That’s good.”

“Say, you’re the one that Cherri was trying to get out. Levi, right? I’m taking it you succeeded?”

“Yeah… But there were some detours. We got caught, I have absolutely no idea where he is.”

“He’ll come back. He always does.”

“Right.”

“Well, I’m Doctor Death Defying. Welcome to the Zones, kid.”

“Thank you.” 

“You already have a gun, I see?”

“Yeah,” Levi mumbled, shoving their free hand into their pocket. “Who found me?”

“That was Jet Star. Here, we also have Fun Ghoul and Show Pony, and you obviously know Cola already. Now, what do you last remember?”

“I.. I remember running. Cherri was pretending to be an exterminator or something, and he got me in a van and stepped on it. There were supposed to be two others, but they didn’t end up coming. He stopped at the end of the tunnel, gave me this gun and I ran.”

“The other two. Do you remember their names?”

“No, sir. But I remember that I called them the Venom Brothers or something. They were like me, wanting to get out. One had bright red hair and the other was blonde.”

“Dyed hair? In Battery City?”

“Yeah.”

“Interesting. What do you remember about yourself?”

“Um.. My name is Levi Willow, I’m seventeen, and.. That’s it.”

“Alright. You need a Killjoy name.”

“...Godspeed. Because of how fucking fast I was running.”

“Perfect. I’ll leave you to do whatever-- I have to do a broadcast.”

“Okay.”

As Doc began to wheel away, Levi stood up, nearly running into somebody. They fumbled their words, while the other-- a short, tattooed man-- just laughed it off.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’m Fun Ghoul. You are?”

“Godspeed,” They smiled, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Back at you. How long have you been out here? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“A few hours.”

“That explains it.”

Laughing a little, Levi glanced around the place. There was a pair of pink roller skates on the ground next to a purple and green frankenstein mask, and a box of about five plain white domino masks.

“Take one.”

“Are you sure?”

“That’s what they’re there for.”

“Alright, then.”

After a moment of silence while Levi grabbed one of the masks, Ghoul spoke up once more.

“What was it like?”

“What was what like?”

“Battery City.”

“Oh.. You’ve never been there?”

“Not in the City itself.”

“Horrible, to put it simply.”

“Did you have any friends?”

“Well.. I wouldn’t call them friends. Nobody really had friends. We weren’t allowed to feel anything. But, I kind of did.”

“What were their names?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah..” They sighed softly, “But, I’m here now. Which is better than anything there. And, you know what?”

”What?”

”I think I’m gonna like it here.”


	7. Chapter Six — No Escape From Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you wanted honesty, that’s all you had to say.

“Cola’s gone.”

Doctor Death Defying’s voice was monotone as he spoke to the four Killjoys in front of him-- Show Pony, Ghoul, Jet and Levi.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Pony raised their eyebrows in disbelief. “He always comes back, doesn’t he? That’s his thing.”

“Not anymore.”

“But..” Jet started, rubbing the back of his neck. “There’s still a chance, right?”

“It’s been three weeks. Maybe, but it would be a very slim chance. And we’ve been looking for him for a while. If he comes back, he comes back. Simple. But, we’re going to assume he’s dead.”

The four were told to walk out, but Doc ended up keeping a confused Levi back. They raised their eyebrows as the DJ grabbed Cherri’s mask off of the desk. “I’m going to the mailbox to drop this off. Can you do me a favor?”

“Depends on the favor.”

“Can you do a broadcast?”

Hesitant, Levi nodded. “...Sure. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Nodding again, Levi stepped up to the desk, trying to familiarize themself with everything. 

“Alright,” They mumbled to themself, “Just.. Talk. It isn’t hard.”

Taking a breath, they flicked on the microphone, starting the broadcast.

“Look alive, Killjoys. You’re listening to WKIL, my name is Godspeed, and, well, I’m going to be here for the next hour or so. Let me ask you something. Do you know who you are? Although it may be wild out here, you need to take some time to take care of yourself when you’re not running from any patrol groups or waveheads.”

Taking a breath, they sighed to themself, not realizing that the other Killjoys had walked in, along with two others they didn’t know behind them, all five of them listening closely.

“Also, crash-queens and tumbleweeds, I need you to remember something. People aren’t permanent. They come and go, and out here, more sooner than later. You may have the Phoenix Witch on your side. You may have a friend or favorite record who has walked through your base’s doors after being ghosted. But, sometimes, they don’t come back. A lot of times, they’re gone for good, and all you can do is go to the mailbox and put something that belongs to them inside. It sucks. It really, really, really sucks. But, you need to take time for yourself, and that’s what I want you all to do right now. If you lost somebody, go to the mailbox and just say hello. And remember what I asked you earlier-- do you know who you are? Because I think that’s something I think I need to figure out for myself. Never stop running, Killjoys, and never let them take the light behind your eyes. This one is called Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Levi sighed, pushing a button as the Queen song started playing, ringing out through the desert. Once they noticed the other three, they rolled their eyes, rubbing the back of their neck.

“How long were you there for?”

“Long enough,” Jet snickered a little. “But are you okay? Also, you should look behind you.”

Not answering the question, Levi turned around, coming face to face with the pair behind them. Immediately, they recognized them, but they couldn’t put their finger on exactly who they were. One had red hair and a yellow domino mask, and was slightly shorter than the one next to him, who had blonde hair and a red jacket. They were extremely familiar to Levi, but they didn’t know exactly who they were.

“Hello,” the blonde one spoke, and Levi nearly lost it. That voice, they thought, waving slightly. Where have I heard that voice before?

“Um, I’m Kobra Kid, and this is my sibling Party Poison. Where are we?”

“Zone Four,” Pony started, noticing Levi’s inability to speak. “WKIL 109. I’m Show Pony, the insanely tall guy behind me is Jet Star, the tattooed one is Fun Ghoul, the blonde one is Godspeed, and Doctor Deah Defying is going to be back soon.”

“Okay.”

“Do you need somewhere to go?”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“Stay here. You already have everything you need anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Alright.”

Simultaneously confused and shocked, Levi walked out of and behind the station, leaning against the wall. They had finally realized who the two newcomers were.

“Why me?!” They shouted into the open desert, frusturated. “I have been so, so faithful to you since I came out here. I believed in you since day one. And now I get this?! First, you kill Cola, and, now, you throw those two back into my path and they probably don’t know who I am. I risked my life to get out here and I’m tired!”

Pausing for a second to recollect themself, they slid against the wall, holding their head in their hands. “...I’m so tired.”

“Are you alright?”

Levi perked up as they noticed Ghoul sitting down next to them, a concerned look on his face. They shrugged, glancing back at the ground.

“You know the two that just walked in?”

“The siblings? Yeah.”

“I know them. They were supposed to get out of the City with me but they held the pigs back while Cherri and I got out. They’re the Venom Brothers.”

“Talk to them.”

“But what if they don’t remember me? The City’s like that.”

“Well, do you have any proof it’s actually you?”

“Not unless I tell them my name,” They sighed, looking at Ghoul. “Hopeless, Ghoul. It’s hopeless.”

“It might not be. What do you remember about them?”

“Well.. The names I know them by are the same, they basically look the same, actually. I remember Party yelling at me over something and Kobra telling Cherri and I to save ourselves and that they’d hold them back.”

“Just talk to them, dude. You never know until you try, right?”

“But… I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“What if it’s just a whole coincidence? Like, I don’t know, what if they’re not who they say they are? Or what if I tell them my actual name and it’s not actually them? Bam, they have information about me they aren’t supposed to know. I’m just gonna let them figure it out themselves and see what happens.”

“Or I can just tell them for you.”

“Don’t you dare, Fun Ghoul.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Ghoul laughed, running a hand through his greasy black hair. “But, aside from this, are you okay?”

“Do you want honesty?”

“No, I want you to lie to me,” He deadpanned, and Levi rolled their eyes.

“I’m okay, Ghoul. I promise.”

“I’m not sure if I should believe that.”

“Trust me.”


	8. Part Two

Too late.

Levi was well aware being a Killjoy would be tough. But, damn, not as bad as this.

People were dying a shit ton, and it drove them kinda crazy.

But they had finally been happy. They had told Party and Kobra who

they were, and all was good, right?

Of course, they should have expected it wasn’t.

But, after Fun Ghoul comes back with news that completely breaks them, they

walk right to the outskirts of Zone Six, hoping that’ll do something good.

In other words? They were fucked.

Completely shattered, and they didn’t know how to fix a single thing.


	9. Chapter Seven — Fucking With My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad News From The Zones, Tumbleweeds.

They’ve been gone for hours.

Jet and Kobra said they would be back in thirty minutes tops when they left early that morning to go on patrol. “No more than a half hour,” They said when they picked up their helmets and began to walk out.

So Party held them to that. They always did, even if Kobra was just leaving to get something out of the car. “Don’t die,” They’d always say, and whoever they were speaking to never did.

But now, he was getting worried.

“It’s been nine hours,” The redhead bit his lower lip like he always did when he was nervous. Levi nodded, tapping their fingers against the counter.

“They’ll be back.”

“I hope so.”

“No, Party, they will. They always do.”

“If you say so, I guess.”

“Trust me.”

The two Killjoys stood in an anxious silence for what felt like forever until Ghoul came bursting through the door, out of breath. He was never like that, which was an immediate red flag.

“What happened?” Party asked, jumping up from his seat. Ghoul panted, putting his finger up in a ‘one second’ motion. Once he caught his breath, he ran a hand through his hair, looking up with a blank expression.

“Kobra. Jet. Route Guano. I went to Chow Mein’s to annoy him and they were there.”

“Alive?” Levi tilted their head, and Ghoul shook his.

“Ghosted. Completely dusted.”

The room once again grew silent, both Levi and Party in disbelief before Ghoul went to go tell the others the news.

Not like there were many left, anyway. Now it was just him, Doc, Pony, Levi and Party; three down, and five to go.

Levi couldn’t believe it. Kobra and Jet? Gone? It seemed impossible. Just half a year ago, Kobra was the one that saved them and held back a squad of dracs in Battery City, with nobody but Party. Now, he and Jet had simply met the same fate as Cherri Cola; ghosted, completely dusted out on that stupid highway that gave them the creeps.

Party was completely shattered. Their baby brother, ghosted out on the Getaway Mile. He almost didn’t want to believe it. Ghoul was just kidding, right? He always played tricks like this. He had done this before. Simply, he was just joking around. He had to be.

But Fun Ghoul had never spoken in such a monotone voice before.

And as the two heard Doc’s broadcast announcing it, they embraced, both nearly in tears.

“Bad news from the Zones, Tumbleweeds. It looks like Jet Star and the Kobra Kid had a clap with an exterminator that went all Costa Rica and, uh, got themselves ghosted. Dusted out on Route Guano...”

“I’m sorry,” Party whispered, and Levi shook their head.

“It’s not your fault.”

“...So it’s time to hit the red-line and upthrust the volume out there…”

“I should’ve gone with them.”

“You weren’t even awake.”

“...Keep your boots tight. Keep your gun close…”

“Stop blaming yourself, Party.”

“I just need time to myself. Stay safe, okay?”

“...And die with your mask on if you’ve got to. Here is the traffic.”

As Party walked away, shutting and locking the door to their room, Levi sighed. They slid down the wall, holding their knees to their chest, hoping to whatever god existed that this was just some nightmare they couldn’t wake up from.

But they knew it wasn’t.

Levi Willow never cried. It was very hard to break them emotionally, due to living in the City their entire life.

But this was something completely different.

They didn’t realize it up until that moment but they needed Kobra and Jet, and they needed them more than they let on. Jet kept them sane. He was always there if they needed something, even if he did crash the car with them in it that one time. And Kobra? He was something else. They would never admit it, but they loved him. More than anything.

So, as soon as they realized they weren’t dreaming, the tears fell down their cheeks, and they couldn’t stop. Staying as quiet as possible, they held their head in their hands, hoping nobody would see them until they calmed down.

But that didn’t happen.

”Are you holding up okay?”

Levi glanced up with tear-filled eyes as Ghoul sat down next to them, worried. They shrugged, glancing up at the paint-splattered ceiling and sighed.

”Listen, Lev, I’m really sorry.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow as their best friend spoke. He had never used their real name before.

”But.. The Witch exists, right? She can always bring them back.”

”But what if she doesn’t? She didn’t bring Cola back. It’s just fucking hopeless. They’re gone.”

“Have faith, okay? You never know.”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s good. As long as you try.”

And so, the two sat in silence, and Levi still hoped they would wake up from this nightmare.


	10. Chapter Eight — Don’t Let It Break Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you remember feeling young?

Fun Ghoul couldn’t find them.

He had been looking for hours. Ever since he woke up that morning, Levi’s been missing— gone without a trace. Due to the Traffic Report the week before, he was worried, scared they had met the same fate as Jet and Kobra. 

So he began looking.

He looked in every room in the radio station, hoping to find them. He looked from around every corner, to up on the roof, and there was no sign of his best friend.

But he wouldn’t give up.

“They’ll come back. Don’t worry about it,” Pony said, but he didn’t stop. He had lost Cola. He had lost Kobra and Jet. He wouldn’t let somebody else go, especially somebody he was close to. Not again. So, after he checked every inch of the radio station, his first option was to radio them. Usually, they would pick up, so it was a logical decision to make. Pulling out his radio from his pocket, he flicked it on and spoke into it, praying to god that there would be a response.

”Godspeed?”

Ghoul groaned at the lack of response, not giving up hope as he continued trying to reach the other end.

”Speed, are you there?” He paused for a second, taking a breath. ”Levi, please. It’s Ghoul. Just say something so I know you’re alive.”

After a moment of static, a tired-sounding voice came from the other end, barely there but still audible so Ghoul could hear it.

”Au revoir.”

Ghoul paled, dropping the radio. He knew that voice anywhere— and they sounded like they’d been through hell. Of course, he didn’t blame them, but it was what they said that he panicked at. ‘Au revoir,’ translated into English, meant ‘until we meet again.’ Surely, Levi couldn’t be doing this, right? The two had made a promise that one wouldn’t leave without the other— and if they went down, they would go down guns blazing.

So what was happening? Ghoul knew Levi would never break a promise like that. They couldn’t be dead. They wouldn’t do something like that. Noticing a paper on the floor, he picked it up, reading the messy, smudged handwriting on it.

ghoul, party, anyone, if you’re reading this, i’m most likely already gone. i’m not dead, but after what happened last week, i don’t want to let you guys down. i thought that killjoys never die— that was the last thing cola ever told me. but they do. they for sure fucking do, and i don’t want to handle it. i’ve been underwater for a long time, boys, and nobody has noticed it, but i’ve been drowning. there’s no way out of this for me without facing the witch. and boy, do i want to slap that motherfucker. come find me if you can, but if you do, chances are i’ll be dead and gone. i’m not going to let you down. you have each other and you should be fine, right? if you really miss me, i’ll be in

And that’s where it ended.

The smudged, black ink stopped right there, cutting off what would most likely be the last sentence. It was obvious that Levi had written the note, and Ghoul was scared. He wouldn’t admit it, of course, but he was terrified. What if something bad were to happen? What if they were to get ghosted and he would just lose someone else again?

No. He wouldn’t let that happen.

So, he grabbed his gun and left to go find them, without telling a soul where he was going. 

Zone Seven was not a good place to find yourself in. 

The radiation that far out into the desert was deadly. Usually, if you were there, you would have to stay inside to avoid getting severely burned. Nobody even would go out as far as the outskirts of Zone Six.

Which is why Levi knew that place was perfect. 

They didn’t want to carry on. They wanted everything to stop, and they wanted everybody they lost to come back. Yet, they didn’t want to die. They didn’t want to leave everybody behind for good. They didn’t want to be another ghost story that kids in the Zones would get told before they went to sleep.

But wasn’t that just what they were going to become? Like every other ghosted Killjoy, they were bound to become another bedtime story, just another forgotten fairytale that children would believe in for a while, until they just disappeared from everybody’s minds.

That isn’t what they wanted to happen. Godspeed was more than a ghost story, and they wouldn’t let anybody forget it.

But they didn’t know if they were Godspeed anymore.

They didn’t know if they could even call themself a Killjoy. They were in hiding— a cowardly thing to do. They literally and figuratively ran away from their problems instead of facing them.

It wasn’t what a true Killjoy would do.

As they wandered into Zone Seven, they sighed, kicking at the rocks in the sand. Godspeed was gone, and all that was there was Levi, alone and scared. The one that had been responsible for Cherri Cola’s ghosting. The one that had nearly gotten the Venom Brothers killed and then proceeded to forget about them for the next god knows how long. The one that lost it at the Traffic Report even though they knew that death isn’t permanent out in the Zones.

But that was a load of bullshit.

If death wasn’t permanent, Cherri Cola, Jet Star, and the Kobra Kid would be back. If death wasn’t permanent, their parents and brother would be alive. 

If death wasn’t permanent, then what the hell was happening?

Levi groaned, continuing to walk further out into the desert, as far away as they could until it became too deadly or they found a shelter of sorts. There was hardly anything out there, but they wanted to find somewhere to go before the static got them. They didn’t want to meet a fate like that. They would rather it happened a separate way.

So, when they found an abandoned warehouse that wasn’t too far out, they walked in and locked the door, hoping that would do everyone some good.


	11. Chapter Nine — We’re Rage All Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You won’t be hearing from me anymore.

“Won’t you save me from this story?”

Levi glanced up at the ceiling, talking to nobody but hoping that they would be heard. It was silly, they knew, because they were alone in the middle of Zone Seven.

However they weren’t trying to talk to any living person. It was quite obvious who they were trying to reach, and they knew he wouldn’t hear them at all.

They thought they might as well be called Mr. Misty-Eyed. Ever since the Traffic Report, they had been falling apart at the seams. They didn’t know who they were anymore, and they thought they had nowhere to go, hence why they were in a practical ghost town. Nobody would find them there, and they would head back when they were ready.

The very last thing they needed was the door to be broken down.

“Search the area. If there’s anybody in here, take them. Dead or alive. Don’t leave anybody here. Copy?”

“Got it, sir.”

That wasn’t good.

The one reason why Levi chose to come here was because they thought that pigs wouldn’t come this far out. For once, they were confident in what they did, and oh, how wrong they were. This in itself was a deathwish, and yet, they went to hide, trying to find a safe spot before they could be gunned down. They didn’t want to go. They would’ve gone back to the station eventually. That’s what they were planning.

But, once they realized they couldn’t find a secure hiding spot, they knew they were done for.

Just count to seventeen, they thought as they saw the dracs coming closer. One for each year of your life. Count to seventeen, and close your eyes.

One. Two. Three.

Levi pulled out their gun, firing the first shot. Instantly, the dracs fired back, and they began dodging laser beams left and right.

Four. Five. Six.

They knocked down four of god knows how many pigs were there, hitting another with the barrel of their gun. Maybe they were better at this than they thought.

Seven, Eight. Nine.

Taking another shot to the leg, Levi fell, trying to stand themself back up but ultimately failing. Their leg gave out, so they backed themself into a corner.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

The dracs kept coming, and Levi made an attempt to knock some more down.

Thirteen. Fourteen.

They knew this was the end for them. Ghosted smack in the middle of Zone Seven. Who would’ve thought?

Fifteen.

“Goodbye,” They mumbled, though the people they were saying it to were nowhere near them. At least they would be with the ones they’ve lost. Cherri. Kobra. Jet. Their brother.

Sixteen.

Korse, who was directly in front of them, pointed his gun at their forehead, his finger moving towards the trigger.

Seventeen.

Shutting their eyes, Levi expected the loud crack of a gun and a laser beam to go through their head and that would be it. They were getting lightheaded and knew they were going to pass out, but at least they wouldn’t feel anything. So, in their final moments of consciousness, they smiled to themself, reminiscing on the very little positive memories they had made in their life . They had expected Korse to take advantage of their unconsciousness. He had tried, but another loud gun shot was heard from the entrance of the warehouse. One by one, the dracs began to fall, leading up to a five-foot-five tattooed man standing in front of him.

“Listen, I don’t want to have to ghost you. I don’t usually ghost exterminators. You guys are real people that just need to clean up your acts. So I’ll give you a deal; you lay off of them and you don’t get hurt. Alright?”

Reluctantly, Korse stepped aside, carefully stepping over the dracs’ bodies as he walked out of the building. He would just have to lie and say nobody was there when he got asked about it.

Shoving his gun in its holster, Fun Ghoul glanced down at his best friend in front of him and panicked, checking for a pulse before picking them up and getting them out of there, going back to the station. 

He wasn’t sure what to think. He was angry that they had left so suddenly like that, but he was relieved he had found them before things got worse.

At least they weren’t dead.

“I hate you,” Party Poison shouted into the open desert. “First, you take Cola. Next, you take Jet and Kobra. And now, Speed and Ghoul are nowhere to be found. What did I do wrong?! I’ve been trying my best, haven’t I?!”

The redheaded Killjoy had woken up that morning, expecting everything to be remotely the same, as it always had been since the day of the Traffic Report. But now, his two closest friends were gone, and he didn’t know what to do. It was just him now, along with Doc and Pony, of course.

But it wasn’t going to be the same.

He didn’t know where either of them were. They could’ve been out for a run, or in a different Zone, or, hell, they could’ve been ghosted. The bottom line was that, for the first time in forever, Party Poison didn’t know what to do. So, in the smartest thing they could think of, they went to Doc, hoping he knew something.

“Was that you yellin’ at the Witch?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “You’re the second person I’ve seen doing that. The first was Godspeed.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. They were frustrated when you and your brother first got out here because they didn’t think you would remember ‘em.”

Party nodded quietly, leaning against the wall. He had no clue about any of this. Did they really care that much?

“They think of you as an older sibling, and they loved the Kobra Kid.”

“I knew that,” He shrugged, crossing his arms. “But we have a problem. Have you even seen them in the past week or so?”

“Not since they disappeared.”

“Well, Ghoul’s gone, too, and I have no clue where either of them are.”

“I’ll put out a broadcast. Maybe people will start looking for them.”

“Thank you so much, sir.”

“Of course.”

Doc began speaking into his microphone as a somewhat hopeful Party walked out of the room, not as anxious as he was before. He leaned against the wall, listening closely to what was being said.

“Look alive, sunshine,” Doc started how he always did. “We, uh, we have a little dilemma with a couple of missing Killjoys. The ones under the names of Godspeed and Fun Ghoul can’t be found, and we’re praying they’re alive. If you come across them, try and bring them back here. We aren’t that hard to miss, after all.”

Deciding that was enough to hear, Party went back into his room, closing and locking the door as Doc continued doing his job. They sat against the door, glancing from the paint-splattered ceiling to the other bed on the other side of the room, a yellow and red bandana laid across it.

Maybe he had to finally come to terms with his brother’s departure. Maybe that’s how it had to be until, hopefully, he came back someday.

But, even someday seemed in the distant future, and he didn’t know what to do about any of it. He couldn’t do anything about it, and it made him sick to his stomach to know that his baby brother was long gone, likely not coming back for a while.

It sucked, but he just had to accept the truth.

The thing that he didn’t expect was to hear Ghoul’s voice from down the hallway. He sounded panicked, which usually didn’t happen, but if it did, it was rare.

“We need help. Fast. I’ll explain later. Please.”


	12. Chapter Ten — Stage Four Fear of Trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Think things on the brink of blasphemy.

“Did I die?”

Levi slowly opened their eyes, slurring their words as they glanced up at the ceiling. They had been in this exact position before. Nearly getting themself killed and then getting saved by a Killjoy that definitely could’ve been wasting their time somewhere else.

Talk about deja vu.

“Oh, my god, you’re alive.”

They struggled to turn their head, but could tell by the voice that it was Party talking. They felt his hand on top of theirs, and they squeezed it gently, letting him know they were a hundred percent alive. Maybe not physically okay, or mentally, for that matter, but still breathing nonetheless.

“Jesus Christ, don’t scare me like that.”

Levi smiled weakly, struggling to sit up but managing to do it. “Why do you care so much, anyway?”

“Because you’re like my little sibling, Vi. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Besides, if he were here, Kobra would kill me if I did.”

“Yeah,” They smiled sadly, glancing down a bit. “He would.”

“So what happened, anyway? Ghoul said he’d explain but he went to Tommy’s to get something.”

Levi sighed, shaking their head. “Left. I ran away, if that’s the answer you want. I just.. I had enough after everything that happened a few weeks ago. It got to me, I guess.”

“Where did you go?”

“Zone Seven.”

“Seven? I don’t think anybody’s been out there before.”

“A few have, and I thought it was too far out for any pigs to go there. Clearly, I was wrong. Per usual. I don’t remember what happened. Ghoul can tell you that part.”

Party was about to open his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by another voice coming from the doorway.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Levi rolled their eyes, laughing weakly at the remark. Ghoul turned the corner, cracking a smile once he knew that they were still alive.

“Are you doing okay?” He asked, and they shrugged.

“Possibly.”

“It’s a yes or no question.”

“But what if I don’t wanna say no?”

“It’s okay to say no once in a while. I don’t know why you think otherwise.”

Levi shrugged again, using their good arm to run their hand through their hair. “Thanks for saving me, by the way.”

“What’s this, the third time?”

“Second, actually.”

“Same difference.”

Ghoul chuckled before walking out of the room, glad his best friend was still in one piece. Party laughed, sitting down by them. “Why would you go out that far? It was basically a deathwish.”

“I don’t know,” They lied, biting their lower lip.

“Yes you do. You’re doing the thing.”

“What thing?”

“Biting your lip. You always do that whenever you lie.”

“Damn. You noticed that?”

“Mhm. I know things, remember? And besides, you lie a lot. It wasn’t that hard to pick up on.”

“Touche,” Levi sighed. “I didn’t want anybody to find me. I didn’t want to let you guys down like I always do. I would’ve rathered staying there for a little while, but, obviously, things happened.”

“You never let us down. You never have, and hopefully, you never will. You could’ve died out there, Levi. That would’ve crushed everybody here. Hell, when Kobra and Jet come back, could you imagine how they would’ve reacted? You want to be here when they come back, right? If you were gone, god, I don’t know what I would be doing, let alone everybody else.”

With every word Party spoke, Levi teared up a little, mentally slapping themself for crying in front of somebody. 

“No, no, don’t cry,” Party smiled softly, gently running his thumb over their cheek to wipe away some of their tears. “You’re okay, alright?”

“God, I feel so stupid,” They laughed a little, leaning into his hand a bit. “Kobra would be furious right now.”

“Because he cared about you. God, he loved you more than anything. He would’ve been devastated if he was here when you left.”

Levi raised their eyebrows, a light pink blush dusting their cheeks. He loved them? That was the very last thing they would’ve expected.

“Me?”

“No, Levi, I’m talking to the wrong person,” Party deadpanned, shaking his head and chuckling. “Yes, you. He never shut up about you. Head over heels, for real.”

“I.. I don’t know how to respond to that. I loved him too, and-”

“I know. Don’t worry about it.”

The two sat in silence for a bit, Levi leaning against Party’s side. He gently wrapped an arm around their shoulders, messing up their hair a little. They laughed quietly, rolling their eyes.

“I thought KIlljoys never die. Immortality or something.”

“It’s not immortality in that sense. Death is inevitable, but once you go, your fate is basically in the Witch’s hands. She decides what happens then.”

“Then why hasn’t she sent everyone back yet?”

“It’s just her decision. Maybe it just isn’t their time yet.”

“But it wasn’t their time when they got killed, Party.”

“I know, Levi. I know. But it wouldn’t have been your time if you died, either.”

“Stop making this about me. Now I feel bad.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Party shrugged. “But seriously. I still don’t understand why you left.”

“I already told you.”

“Yeah, I know, but still.”

“I just didn’t feel like Godspeed anymore. I didn’t think I could do it. I was just the same Levi McAllister from Battery City, California, too scared to do anything on their own.”

“I thought your last name is Willow.”

“It’s not, but that’s not a story for today. I’m tired.”

“It’s noon.”

“I know.”

“Can you try and stay awake for now? I don’t want you to pass out again.”

“Alright,” They paused for a moment. “When you said I’m like your little sibling, did you mean that?”

“Of course, I did. You’re the one that got us out of here. I’d protect you with my life, Levi.”

They glanced up at the redhead, smiling a bit. “Thank you, Party. I.. I lost my brother a while ago. So, really, it means a lot.”

“You had a brother?”

“Mhm. His name was Harley. He was, like, four years older than me.”

“Wow. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t know, huh?”

Levi nodded, giggling. “Yeah. A lot.”

Another comfortable silence filled the room, the two glad that the other was alive. After what felt like forever, Levi spoke, sighing softly.

“We really were wrong to think that immortality meant never dying, huh?”


	13. Eleven — That’s the Moral of the Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wolf in sheep’s clothing is more than a warning.

“This City has to come down.”

Fumbling with their crutch, Levi leaned against a wall, facing the others in front of them. Pony nodded in agreement, as did Party and Ghoul, but Doc raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure you wanna take that risk?” He asked, and Levi nodded quickly, doing their best to not fall over. 

“A hundred percent,” They nodded, remembering the conversation they had with Party the day before. “Killjoys never die, right? So how bad could it be?”

“They don’t die, but they definitely can get caught.”

“Okay, yeah, but still. You get my point. If we rally enough people, we can do it.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong…”

“Great.”

“...But I’m not saying you’re right, either. This could still be a big risk we can take and we could die in the process. It’s tough, but it might work.”

“So you see what I’m getting at?”

“Mhm. But you’re gonna have to come up with a plan. It is your idea, after all. And we’re gonna have to wait until you get better. We can’t have you go out with an injury like that.”

“I know, I know. I think I know what we can do. It’s what got me out of the city.”

“Oh? Continue.”

“Basically, Cola hijacked a BLI van. He put me inside and made an attempt to drive out of the City with me inside. It kinda worked, I guess. But if we can find an empty van, we can do the same thing and just cause absolute madness.”

“But that’s also what got him killed, Speed.”

Levi grew silent, looking at the ground, and after a second they left the room, shutting the door to their own once they were inside. Ghoul and Party shared a look before turning to the Doc, who had a confused look on his face. Ghoul walked off, heading down the hallway to Levi’s room whereas Party sat on the counter, sighing.

“You shouldn’t have said that, D.”

“Your fault,” Levi mumbled, sitting at the edge of their bed. “Your fault. All your fault.”

“Knock, knock,” Came Ghoul’s voice from the other side of the door, knocking twice. “Can I come in?”

“Door’s open,” They shrugged, and he came in, locking the door behind him. He sat down next to them, not exactly knowing what to do. The room grew somewhat quiet, but the two were still able to hear the others talking in a different room.

“He didn’t mean that,” Ghoul said, and Levi shrugged again, messing with the gloves that were on their hands.

“He sounded like he did.”

“Would he ever say something like that and mean it?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, fair point. He would. But he didn’t mean it this time. Trust me.”

“How do you know? Did he tell you?”

“Because. I k-

“Yes, I know, you know things. Party says that a lot. But seriously. He was right. I messed up, Ghoul. Big time.”

“But the plan worked, right?”

“But it killed him.”

“Forget that. It got you out and that’s all that matters. How did it happen?”

“We got to the end of the tunnel, and we were being chased. He let me out and told me to run. I made it to about Zone Three and that was it.”

“So it wasn’t your fault.”

“I mean.. I guess. But-”

“Nuh-uh. No buts. You need to stop blaming yourself.”

Levi sighed, shaking their head. “But I should’ve stayed with him.”

“I think it’s a good plan, anyway. It could work. It did before, it might now.”

“But that was, like, a year ago.”

“Still.”

“Their security might have changed, you know. Better. Stronger. It wouldn’t matter what we did or didn’t do, because we’d all just be dust anyway.”

“You need to have hope.”

“But I’m right.”

“You might be. But you never know until you try, right?”

“I don’t know, Ghoul. I just want this to be over. I want the boys back. That’s it. And if it means risking my life, then so be it.”

“They’re gonna come back eventually, you know.”

“We don’t know that for sure. Once I’m off of this stupid crutch and can get back on my feet again, I’m gonna try.”

“We’re gonna try. You can’t just do that alone.”

“Whatever. You get the point. What happens, happens. That’s it.”

“If you say so. But it’s dangerous to do something like that.”

“Which is why we need all the help we can get.”

Shrugging, Ghoul listened as he heard the very faint voice of Doc making another broadcast. Levi listened as well, closing their eyes.

“Look alive, sunshine. One-oh-nine in the sky, but the pigs won’t quit, you’re here with me, Doctor Death Defying. I’ll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter, pumping out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive…”

“The hell does that mean?” Levi raised an eyebrow, earning nothing but another shrug.

“I don’t know.”

“...A system failure for the masses, anti matter for the master plan. Louder than God’s revolver and twice as shiny!”

“God’s revolver?”

“Don’t ask.”

“This one’s for all you rock-and-rollers; all you crash queens and motorbabies, listen up! The future is bulletproof. The aftermath is secondary. It’s time to do it now, and do it loud.”

“I wish that were true,” Levi sighed as Doc spoke the last four words.

“Killjoys, make some noise.”

As the room grew quiet again, Levi sighed, tapping their fingers against the edge of the mattress. It was a comfortable silence, but it was also one that occurred when there was something coming. Good or bad, either way. It was like a universal thing between Killjoys, a silent agreement of “this is happening.”

That silence existed until someone knocked on the door.

“Guys,” Came the voice of Show Pony, and they sounded excited. “You’re gonna want to see this.”

“Is Party going on the crash track again?” Ghoul raised his eyebrow. Pony chuckled, shaking their head.

“It’s better than that. Get out here. You’re gonna love it.”

“If you say so.”

Picking up their crutch, Levi went over to the door, unlocking and opening it. Ghoul did the same, both of them following Pony down the hallway.

“So,” Party, who was at the other end, started. “Good news and bad news. You’ll see both of them.”

“Okay..”

Hesitantly, Levi continued walking, the other three right behind them, and they nearly lost it once they saw who was in front of them.

“Kobra?! Jet?!”

So maybe the Witch did wait a bit. But, she always did it for a small price.

And what Jet Star said was definitely a result of that.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?”


	14. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draw the curtains. Take the stage.

And just not enough of this.

Levi was tired. They had dealt with enough shit within the past two months or so and they were so tired. Doc D had agreed to take down the city, but the two knew that a better plan was needed.

Since Kobra and Jet had lost their memory, Party Poison wanted revenge. He was beyond pissed off and was out for blood. Revenge is sweet, they say, and it’s a dish best served cold.


	15. Chapter Twelve — For the Night to Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re already the voice inside my head.

Levi didn’t know how to handle it. 

Things really hadn’t been going their way lately, and they didn’t know what to do. The only good thing that had come out of the past month was their injuries healing and, well, not dying. 

So, climbing on the roof, they decided to once again start yelling at the Phoenix Witch.

“It’s official, I’m pretty sure you hate me,” They groaned, staring up at the night sky. “You took my brother from me, you haven’t sent Cherri back yet, and then you took those two for god knows how long and then threw them right in my path, but now they have no recollection of who they are. Why me? It’s constantly been this stuff happening to me every single time! What do you expect me to do at this point?!”

They groaned, going silent as there was a gust of wind, causing the area around them to be significantly colder. Of course, that wasn’t much due to the fact that they were in the desert, but it still made them shiver a little, someone else’s voice scaring them and nearly causing them to fall.

“Yelling at her isn’t gonna solve your problems, you know.”

Kobra.

Levi sighed, shaking their head. “I know, but what else am I supposed to do?”

“Talk to an actual person. Do you if I come up?”

“No.”

They didn’t even bother to look up as Kobra climbed up onto the roof, sitting down next to them. “What’s up?”

“The sky.”

“Good answer. But, seriously. Are you okay? You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re lying.”

“How can you tell?”

“You’re biting your bottom lip. You always do that when you lie.”

“How did you know that?”

“Godspeed, I’ve been here a month and you’ve lied, like, a million times.”

“Fine. I just miss someone. That’s all.”

Kobra nodded, sitting quietly for a moment before he spoke again. “Do you remember what life was like without the mask?”

“What do you mean?”

“Before you were a Killjoy. What was it like?”

“It was… It wasn’t that good. The City sucked. But, I met this guy there and he honestly made everything worth it. He’s gone now, though.”

“Did he get ghosted? Or did you just drift apart?”

“Neither, really. He doesn’t remember me. He doesn’t remember anything but his own name.”

“Oh.. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I couldn’t control it.”

“Well, I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Levi sighed quietly as Kobra climbed down without saying a word. They stayed on the roof, looking up at the stars and praying to whatever god existed that a miracle would happen.

Party Poison was hopeless.

Surely, they would’ve been happy their brother was back. It had been far too long without him. 

But it hurt. It hurt when he would look at them and didn’t even recognize their face. It hurt when he walked through the station’s doors for the first time in months and asked, “Who are you?”

It was painful, and they didn’t know what to do. All of their memories with him, gone from his brother’s mind.

He hated it. He hated all of it.

Most of the time, he was in his room, trying not to completely break under pressure. He hid from everybody else, and Levi was getting worried. So, in an attempt to fix things, they knocked three times on his bedroom door, waiting for a response.

“Come in.”

Thank god.

Levi opened the door, closing it behind them, and frowned when they saw how Party was doing. He was a mess, just to say the least, and they wanted to fix that.

“Are you holding up okay?”

“What does it look like?”

Levi sighed. “Party, everything’s going to be alright soon, okay? I know it doesn’t seem like it, but you have to trust me on this.”

“Why should I? Vi, he doesn’t know any of us. He doesn’t even remember his name, for god’s sake. I’ve tried to show him pictures of us, but nothing’s been working.”

“Party, please. I know it hurts.”

“How do you? It’s not like this has ever happened to you before. You don’t have any family out here. You’re lucky. You didn’t have to go through anything like this,” Party paused for a moment, sighing. “Sorry. I forgot you had a brother.”

“Just trust me. For once? Please? I know that it hurts, believe me. I was on the roof, yelling at the Witch again and he came up. He asked me what life without the mask was. He doesn’t remember anything, and neither does Jet. But, hey, maybe we can change that. We can at least try to. You never know until you try, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And if things don’t work out, I still have you, and you still have me. I’m not really your family, but it’s close enough, right?”

“Yeah,” Party nodded, sighing. “Promise me you’ll never leave?”

“Only if you promise the same thing.”

“Pinky swear.”

Levi laughed as they locked pinky fingers with his, smiling a bit. “You do know that the rule is if you break a pinky promise, then you get your pinky finger cut off, right?”

“That’s dark.”

“I know. Just something my brother taught me.”

“Your brother… Are you certain he’s dead?”

“Yeah. I saw it happen.”

“Oh,” Party paused for a minute, glancing at the ground. “So all we really do have is each other, huh?”

“Yeah, but you know what?”

“What?”

“I’m completely fine with that.”

Party smiled a little, wrapping an arm around Levi’s shoulders. They yawned quietly, leaning into his side a bit.

“Go to sleep.”

“No.”

“Why not? Your body doesn’t function well without it.”

“Oh, you hypocrite. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“If.”

“If?”

“Remember what you always say?”

“Yeah, Killjoys never die.”

“Exactly.”

Levi shrugged, the pair listening to another broadcast that Doc was making before the day was over.

“Alright, children, the lights are out and the party’s over. It’s time for me, Doctor D, to start running and say goodbye for a little while. And I know you’re gonna miss me, so I’ll leave you with this. You know that big ball of radiation we call the sun? Well, it’ll burst you into flames if you stay in one place too long. That is, if the static don’t get you first. So, remember, even if you’re dusted, you may be gone, but out here, in the desert, your shadow lives on without you. This is Doctor Death Defying, signing off.”

“Who lets him say that stuff?”

“Beats me,” Levi shrugged, closing their eyes and eventually drifting off to sleep.


	16. Chapter Thirteen — Fool’s Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catch up with you, she’ll set it right.

It was almost time.

It took some convincing, but Levi was able to persuade everybody into helping attempt to take Battery City down. They had decided to use the same plan that got them out, seeing as it was the most logical thing to do, and probably the safest, at that.

The day before was nerve-wracking. Everybody knew what was coming. It was that same kind of silence, if you will. Nobody wanted to say anything about it, just because of superstition. However, little glances and eyebrow raises were shared across rooms to get points across.

Ghoul didn’t have any high expectations. He knew how this was all going to play out, and he didn’t like it one bit. But there was no going back, because once Levi had their mind set on something, they wouldn’t give it up. So, he picked up his gun and went out through the back door of the studio, shooting down one of the targets.

Doc had seen attempts like this before. He had been around long enough that he had seen people make attempts to tear down the City, and they had all resulted in the same fate; getting masked or ghosted.

He knew that this time wouldn’t be any different. He had to try anyway, though, because he knew that Levi and Party wanted revenge.

Pony was rolling with the punches. They had no problem trying, but, yet, they were very anxious about it. They’d try anyway. It didn’t matter what happened, because they knew the Witch would be nice.

Jet had a splitting headache. Everything had come back to him at once, and he didn’t know how to process it. He was fine with bringing the City down. It would be a nice opportunity to give them a bit of karma.

Party was livid. They had all this pent up rage, and what better way to let it out than guns blazing? They couldn’t wait for tomorrow, but they wished it could come sooner.

Kobra was confused. Unlike Jet, he still had no clue what was going on, where he came from, or who he was. Jet had tried to get him to remembr everything multiple times, but nothing seemed to work. He was all for what was going to happen, no matter the consequences.

Levi couldn’t wait to get revenge. It was the first big thing they were going to lead in the one year and a half that they had been living in the desert. They were surprised that Doc was going to allow them to do it, but they definitely weren’t complaining.

Godspeed was back, and they were not at all happy.

“Are you excited?” Party asked, sitting on the counter with a can of power pup. Levi nodded, unzipping their jacket and putting it on the table next to them.

“More than.”

“Imagine if it actually works. What do you think will happen? We’ll finally be able to live somewhat normal lives. We won’t have to worry about risking everything when we leave for an hour or two. We won’t have to wear these stupid masks anymore. We’ll be able to go out without a gun or whatever weapon we have. We’ll be free again, and so will the people in the City!”

Levi smiled, thinking about that distant future. Everything that Party said had seemed impossible, almost like it couldn’t happen even with Batt City gone. Yet, they had hope. They had hope that someday they wouldn’t have to live in fear of their life being in danger all the time.

They wanted that future, and they wanted it as soon as it was possible.

The pair then glanced at Jet as he walked into the room, picking up his helmet. 

“Hey,” Levi waved, and Jet waved back before turning to Party.

“Have you talked to your brother at all? He still doesn’t remember anything, and I’ve been trying to help.”

“Jet, oh my god,” Party went wide-eyed, standing up and basically tackling the taller boy in a hug. “How do you-”

“I don’t know, honestly.”

Shocked, Levi raised both of their eyebrows as they noticed Jet reaching for the car keys. “Nuh-uh. I’m not letting you drive. Not after you crashed the car with me inside. I’m still holding you to that.”

“Fair enough. Pony! Can you drive?”

“On it,” Came the voice of Show Pony, who skated out and grabbed the key. The two left, leaving both Party and Levi in some state of shock. However, they didn’t question it, knowing that the Phoenix Witch did many weird things sometimes.

“That just happened,” Levi mumbled, and Party nodded.

“Don’t ask.” 

“But if he can remember, why can’t Kobra? It isn’t fair.”

“He will. Eventually.”

“If I’m being honest, at this point, I don’t think he will. The Witch just hates us.”

“Levi. She sent them back, and she just gave Jet his memory back. She doesn’t hate us, she’s just waiting for the right time to do everything.”

“I’m definitely going to hold you to that.”

The pair sat in a dead and confused silence, not sure what to do. There was nothing they could do but wait, but neither of them realized that.

“What did you see in my brother, anyway?” Party asked after what felt like an eternity, raising an eyebrow. 

“You aren’t gonna make me ramble, are you?”

“Yes, I am. Spill.”

“I.. I genuinely don’t know. Just everything about him gave off this vibe of comfort. He was always there when I needed something, both in the City and out here.”

“Didn’t you call him Kiddie once?”

“Possibly.”

“Yes or no question.”

“Or.”

“Smart answer.”

Levi rolled their eyes, quickly changing the subject. “Hey, whatever happens tomorrow, promise me that you aren’t gonna go?”

“We already made this promise.”

“I know, but still. And if you do get dusted, can you do me a favor?”

“Depends on what it is.”

“Annoy the Witch until she sends you back.”

“On it.”

“Thank you.”

“But I’ll only do it if you do too.”

“Honestly? I’ll just be yelling at her until she sends me back.”

“Speed,” Doc spoke from the other room. “Can you come in here?”

Levi nodded, wordlessly walking into said room. He turned to them, pushing up his sunglasses.

“It was your idea to try and take down Batt City, so can you make the broadcast telling everyone about it?”

“Sure.”

“Great. I’ll be right here.”

One again, Levi nodded, standing in front of the microphone and turning it on.

“Crash queens, tumbleweeds, and Killjoys of any kind, I need you to listen and listen well. My name is Godspeed, and I am not in hiding anymore. For years, we have been running from the control of Better Living Industries and it’s time to put an end to this. They have taken everything from us; our family. Our friends. Our favorite records. They have been non stop trying to brainwash people and trying to get them wrapped around their little finger. Despite all the warnings we have given them, the past attempts to tear them down, they haven’t given up. So, motorbabies, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time to take a stand. Tomorrow, Batt City is going to come down, and it’s going to come down swinging. This one’s for everybody we’ve lost. Everybody that has given in to the pigs that have taken anything they could from innocent people. Rally the war boys, Zone Rats. You know what to do.”


	17. Chapter Fourteen — Welcome to the Final Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will defend the faith, going down swinging.

The day to take down Battery City had finally arrived.

Everybody was a little scared. What if it were all to backfire? What if they all just ended up ghosted, meeting the same fate as the ones before them?

No. Levi knew that it wouldn’t happen.

Out of everybody, they had the highest hopes that things would go well. Internally, though, they were terrified.

When there are posters with your face all around the City, it was never a good thing.

Pony pulled up in a BLI van when the sun began to set, honking the horn once to let the Killjoys know they were outside. Everybody, with the exception of Doc, got in, a dead quiet filling the van.

“This could be the last of all the rides we take,” Ghoul mumbled, looking out the window. Levi nodded silently, sighing quietly as the van grew closer and closer to Battery City. Multiple cars, vans and bikes followed behind, which was good. They had backup.

“I’m gonna break down the barricade,” Pony smirked from behind their helmet. “Hold on tight, and don’t look back.”

As the van drew even closer to the City, they stepped on the gas, eventually breaking through the barricade when they were close enough to do it. The other vehicles followed behind, speeding through the tunnel. 

And so it began.

“Go in guns blazing. Some of you start getting people out of their houses and into the Zones. Don’t leave anybody behind,” Levi shouted, getting out of the van and addressing the other Killjoys. “Do it now and do it loud.”

Killjoys went in this direction and that, knocking on doors and shooting down dracs. Levi stuck with Party and Kobra, running to get people out of their houses and apartments, saving them from what was about to happen; absolute madness.

And then they got cornered.

Levi shoved Party and Kobra out of the way, yelling at them to go. When they refused, they just got louder, more urgent.

“Just go! Save yourselves, I’ll hold them back.”

And that was when the Kobra Kid remembered everything.

Those last six words Levi had said triggered something in his mind and everything came back to him like a slap in the face. He glanced back at Levi, who yelled at him and his sibling again.

“I’ll find you when the sun goes black!”

Wordlessly, he nodded, grabbing Party by the arm and running. 

“Why did we leave them alone?” The redhead asked, panting. “What if they don’t come back?”

“Trust them. They weren’t biting their lip.”

The two kept running, not looking back at all and occasionally firing at dracs or exterminators that were coming after them. They took cover behind a smoking building and sighed, catching their breath.

“I’m sorry,” Kobra mumbled, shaking his head. “I’m sorry I forgot you. Levi told us to save ourselves and it just... clicked.”

“Just to make sure, what’s your middle name?”

“James. Or fuckin’, if you count that shirt I have.”

“We have to retreat!” Ghoul called, taking a shot to the arm. “Quickly! There aren’t enough of us!”

Killjoys began running back to their vehicles, firing their guns here and there. One drac turned the corner and hit Kobra with the barrel of it’s gun, knocking him out. Party screamed, picking him up and running.

He had lost him once, and he wasn’t about to lose him again.

Pony stepped on the gas, not looking back as the van sped out of the City. “Headcount, headcount, someone do a headcount!”

Jet turned around in his seat, mumbling to himself. “Me, Show, Ghoul, Party, Kobra… Where’s Godspeed?”

“Oh no.”

“They were cornered,” Kobra mumbled, shifting in his seat. “They said they’d come back. They will. They always do.”

“They better,” Party sighed. “We made a promise.”

As the van pulled up to the radio station, the five ran inside, hearing Doc’s voice coming from the broadcast room.

“...Making friends across America-- holding hands with the atoms. Let go, little bug, be free, little bug! And leave nothing but static in the flames.”

Once he realized they were back, he flicked off the microphone, raising an eyebrow. “Back already?”

“There were too many of them. We had to retreat,” Pony sighed, shaking their head.

“What did I say?”

“It was worth a shot, though, and we did cause some damage and got a few people out.”

“Where’s Levi?”

“That’s the problem.”

“Oh, god.”

“They’re gonna come back,” Kobra spoke up, putting his helmet on the table. “They told Party and I that they’d find us when the sun goes black. They didn’t lie.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know things. Plus, you should have a little hope once in a while. The Witch is nice.”

Levi laid on the empty, blood splattered sidewalk, knowing this was how they were going to leave. So, like they always did, they closed their eyes, counting from one to seventeen.

One. Two. Three.

“I’m sorry, Party. I know that I broke the promise we made. You better not break it yourself.”

Four. Five. Six.

“I’m sorry, Ghoul. I know I let you down. I shouldn’t have gone into Zone Seven.”

Seven. Eight. Nine.

“I’m sorry, Doc. I know I shouldn’t have done this, even after you told me it was fine.”

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

“I’m sorry, Pony. I know I should have gone with you when you retreated.”

Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

“I’m sorry, Jet. I should have listened to you when you said we could get killed.”

Sixteen.

“I’m sorry, Kobra. I want to scream ‘I love you’ from the top of my lungs, but I’m… I’m afraid that someone else will hear me.”

Seventeen.

“Killjoys never die. I’ll be back eventually. Like I said, I’m going to annoy the Witch until she sends me back. I won’t let you guys down next time, I promise.”

With that, Levi took their last breath, letting the static take them before anybody could notice. Hopefully the Witch would be nice, not holding anything against them.

Maybe.


	18. Epilogue — Dirty Secrets, Empty Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where do broken hearts go?

“What are you doing here?”

Levi glanced around, familiarizing themself with their new surroundings; nothing. Everything was pitch black, and yet, they still heard a woman’s voice.

“Who are you?”

“I am the Phoenix Witch, Godspeed. The one you have been yelling at for the past few months because bad things happened. Bad things happened, and you just couldn’t control it.”

“Oh, it’s you. Well, yeah, I couldn’t control anything, but you could have. Surely, you heard me. You just confirmed you did. But no, you sent Jet and Kobra back with no memory, and when they did remember, I was killed,” Levi mumbled, trying to stop the tears rolling down their face. “I just wanted them back. At least for a day.”

“You have to have patience.”

“But I tried! I tried so hard and still, nothing happened!”

“Jet Star remembered, did he not?”

“He did. The day before I got dusted.”

“And the Kobra Kid did too, correct?”

“Yeah. Right before I got fucking gunned down.”

“But they still know. They still have all their memories, with or without you. They’re grieving, but they’re happy because they remember everything else.”

“I.. I guess you’re right.”

“I know you loved the Kobra Kid. Sometimes, you have to go through some problems before you can get a happy ending. That’s how it always has been. I do these things for a reason, keeping you here, wiping your memory, sending you back, so forth and so on.”

“I get that, but why?”

“So everybody ends up safe. It isn’t your time yet, Levi McAllister, but I’ll be keeping you around for a bit before you go back.”

Levi nodded, saying something that they never thought they would. “...I trust you. Give me a shot to remember.”


	19. Author’s Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From me to you, thank you so much.

holy shit. hi.

thank you so much for sticking around. despite how short this fic is, it was such a wild ride. i’m sorry that it ended so short but i sincerely hope it was worth the while. this was so fun to write and i’m so glad you (hopefully) enjoyed it. i just... i can’t describe how much it means that you guys read my stuff and actually like it.

i promise that the next one (which will be coming soon) will be longer and much better than this.

i put a lot of myself into the characters of this fic. from dr. d’s temper to levi’s absolute simpery, there was a little bit of me in each character. writing this fic has helped me cope with the current problems i’ve been dealing with.

i’m sorry it ended so soon, and i promise the next one will be longer.

(you can’t see it, but i’m not biting my lip.)

stay frosty, stay healthy and stay alive.

-jacket and the rest of the chlorine system 

(ps. killjoys never die)


End file.
